Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Issaquah, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,121 in Issaquah, WA, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Issaquah, WA
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Issaquah, WA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Issaquah, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,121

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Issaquah, WA and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Issaquah, WA and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,121 per month in Issaquah, WA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Issaquah, WA $3,121
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,471 per month in Issaquah, WA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Issaquah, WA $4,471
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,820 per month in Issaquah, WA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Issaquah, WA $5,820
Nosara $3,818

Issaquah, WA costs about 70% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Issaquah, WA and Nosara sit above the global median – Issaquah, WA by 131%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.87 $24.87

$12.35 ₡5,539

101.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

33.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 $11.33

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.66%

Cappuccino

$4.90 $4.90

$4.41 ₡1,978

11.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.74 ₡780

83.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.31 ₡587

63.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.21 $7.21

$3.28 ₡1,471

119.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.47 ₡2,004

59.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.56 ₡701

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$5.50 $5.50

$3.02 ₡1,355

82.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.51 ₡1,125

129.08%

Eggs

$5.45 $5.45

$3.57 ₡1,603

52.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.48 $16.48

$7.43 ₡3,333

121.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

44.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$13.97 ₡6,265

24.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.35 ₡1,052

154.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.61 ₡720

34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.80 ₡2,152

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.61 ₡724

182.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.80 ₡1,703

-38.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$3.69 ₡1,657

-34.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.13 ₡507

58.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.66 ₡1,191

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.23 $12.23

$5.18 ₡2,321

136.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.22 $18.22

$19.88 ₡8,916

-8.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.63 ₡1,626

31.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.12 ₡504

138.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.14 ₡958

20.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.57 ₡703

5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.25 $30.25

$8.52 ₡3,823

255.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.52 ₡682

-8.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

68.23%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.99%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$230 $230

$96.3 ₡43.2K

139.13%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

70.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

57.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$16.93 $16.93

$7.89 ₡3,539

114.58%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,094 $2,094

$494 ₡221.6K

323.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

168.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 $61.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

14.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.18 $45.18

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.6 $74.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 $2,092

$788 ₡353.4K

165.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$794 ₡356.2K

116.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,248 $3,248

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 $2,746

$1,419 ₡636.5K

93.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,201 $4,201

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-39.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,293 $6,293

$864 ₡387.3K

628.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Issaquah, WA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Issaquah, WA

$1.7K 55.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 53.9% $928

Groceries & Markets

Issaquah, WA

$484 15.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Issaquah, WA

$376 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.6% $190

Eating Out

Issaquah, WA

$363 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 41.7% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Issaquah, WA

$120 3.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Issaquah, WA

$34 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 158% $54

Getting Around

Issaquah, WA

$22 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 304% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,092 in Issaquah, WA versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 629% higher in Issaquah, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Issaquah, WA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $484 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Issaquah, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

1 h ahead of Issaquah, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,051

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Issaquah, WA Nosara 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Issaquah, WA
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Issaquah, WA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Issaquah, WA is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,682 per month in Issaquah, WA and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,121 in Issaquah, WA and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 70%.

Kindergarten costs $2,094 per month in Issaquah, WA and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Issaquah, WA at $3,121. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Issaquah, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Issaquah, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.